Feminist lawmaker to renew efforts to legalize abortion in Uruguay

Montevideo, Uruguay, Jan 9, 2007 / 02:14 pm (CNA).- A prominent pro-abortion senator in Uruguay announced this week she intends to resend a proposal to the country’s parliament to legalize abortion.

In an interview with the Uruguayan daily, “La Republica,” Senator Margarita Percovich said, “This past year we did not want to include it in the agenda of the Senate Committee on Health Care because we had so many reform measures to deal with, but we plan to do so in 2007.”

The feminist senator said that this time the bill would be dressed up as “a matter of human rights” rather than one of heath care in order to avoid another defeat in the Senate similar to the one it suffered in 2005.

Uruguay’s left-wing President Tavare Vasquez has expressed his total commitment to the defense of the unborn and reiterated the promise he made upon assuming power to veto any legislation that would make abortion legal in the country.

Asked about those comments, Senator Percovich responded, “I don’t believe that. I know Dr. Vazquez and I think that if the members of his party vote to pass this bill, he will not issue a veto.”